4. Vontaze Burfict

Burfict has filled the hole Thomas Howard left at SAM and injected some life into what had been thought of as a patchwork LB unit.

It's unclear at this point which of either Rey Maualuga or Thomas Howard should be more worried for his spot beyond 2012, but Burfict is certainly making a case for a starting role.

Maualuga's game has become incredibly safe of late and its hurting his stock. It also takes him out of plays on a consistent basis.

Burfict on the other hand is all instinct. Now, this can result in him biting on fakes, and ending up stranded in no-man's land, but so far in 2012, his gambling has paid off.

He has shown a real ability to burst through the line and has great anticipation skills to boot.

Here's the bottom line. Burfict had a bad game against Pittsburgh last Sunday, yet he still posted 13 solo tackles and two assists. He may still be raw, but Burfict is developing well and far ahead of schedule.

1. A.J. Green

At the midseason mark, A.J. Green has shown himself to be the most valuable player on the Bengals roster. He's also rapidly making ground on Calvin Johnson in the race for the top receiver title.

Green has seven TDs to his name through seven games and has averaged 14.5 yards per reception. We must take into account that Green has done so while being double-covered for the most-part.

On the odd occasion that Green has seen one-on-one coverage, he's dominated.

Green leads all fantasy wide receivers, with 106.7 points overall; two ahead of Victor Cruz. If you were to remove A.J. Green from the Bengals' offense, you would struggle to find a single legitimate threat in the lineup.

By simply taking to the field, Green gives the Bengals instant credibility.

A.J. has been their most important player up to this point, and will continue to be exactly that as the season continues.